Hello, lovely blog readers! I’ve learned so much in my research for Device Theft Awareness Month that I am just itching to tell you some of the tips I’ve picked up. I’m going to be honest with you – some of it seriously blew my mind.

Sometimes I still catch myself thinking “but this stuff is crazy, it’s not going to happen to me” and I have to mentally kick myself. Over 1.6 million smartphones were stolen in the US in 2012, and it’s only risen since then; it could totally happen to me (unless I start changing the way I approach having a phone in public). Every time I think about losing my phone (and more importantly, the stuff that’s on it) I find myself breaking out into a weird combination of hives and a cold sweat and then my vision starts getting a little blurry and basically – these tips are incredibly useful.

First and foremost, cellphones distract us. It’s the same reason we’re not supposed to text in class, or be on our phones while we’re driving – our attention is divided and we’re not totally aware of our surroundings. It’s funny, because in the past I’d been told if I was walking alone at night, it was a good idea to pretend to be on a call with someone who was nearby, to say loudly “Oh you left the light on, I can see it from here, I’ll be home soon!” I was told predators are less likely to accost a person who’s got backup nearby.

But that advice has changed a bit as the years have gone by. Obviously if there’s a predator lurking about, you can never truly know what their intentions are… but with device theft on the rise, having your phone out in your hand, advertising that you’re holding an expensive piece of equipment, is a big safety no-no.

I know, it’s news to me too. Don’t use our phones in public? But…. you mean just at night, right? Well – I know it’s hard, in a world that’s become so plugged in, but experts are leaning more toward advising people not to pull your phones out in public at all if you can stand it. At the very least, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. If you need to respond to a text or answer a call, wait until you’re inside a store or your your job or school. A theft is much less likely to happen inside a well-lit building surrounded by people/security/etc. I know this sounds absolutely crazy (don’t answer your phones when it rings?!) but there are very few times a text or a call can’t wait a few moments until you’re someplace safer to pull out your phone.

2. On that note, when you’re not using your phone, hide it away. A pocket that zips, inside a backpack or purse, or even your waistband.

3. Even earbuds are an advertisement that you’ve got a smartphone hidden away. Obviously there are times when it’s totally acceptable to wear your earbuds (running in broad daylight, riding the bus) but maybe you should turn the music down anyway if you’re walking alone at night.

4. Always keep your phone on vibrate when you’re not at home or somewhere equally as safe. Vibrate means you and you alone will know your phone is ringing, and no one else really needs to know anyway. A loud ringer is just another alert to thieves that you’ve got a phone on you.

5. Don’t fall for the bait – if someone asks you what time it is and you aren’t wearing a watch, tell them you don’t know. Use careful judgement if you’re going to pull out your cell phone when a stranger asks something like this, because they might be trying to distract you by pulling out your phone.

If you want to know how secure your phone is, you can take this little quiz to get an idea of where you rate on the scale.

I really haven’t signed on to write these posts to scare you, bum you out, or to push a product on you. I agreed to do it because I had no idea how real this threat is, and how easy it can be to protect yourself. Signing up with a program like Absolute LoJack can give you such a peace of mind, because even if your device IS stolen, they’ve got you covered. I didn’t even know services like this existed until I first started doing my research with Absolute LoJack Uncovered.

Now, I don’t want to bum you out, but I do want to talk a little bit more about device theft. It’s a crappy thing that happens to a lot of people, but I’m partnering once again with Absolute LoJack Uncovered to help educate others on how and why this happens. Over the next month, I hope to help you learn how to take some relatively simple steps in your own life both to A) minimize your chances of device theft and B) make your device easier to track down and protect your identity if it does happen to you. And hopefully not make you fall asleep in the mean time with my stats – because this stuff is super important!

This past year year, 3.1 million Americans were victims of smartphone theft. To put that in perspective for you, that’s just the number for smartphone theft. Not laptops, not tablets, not even regular phones. I don’t even want to know what that number would be if we took the rest of those devices into account (although let’s be honest, why would anyone steal a flip phone these days?)

Jokes aside, this is a much more serious issue than you may even realize. Maybe you think your neighborhood is safe enough, so this wont happen to you. That your coworkers are all great people, so you don’t even have to worry. Maybe you just know you’re more careful than those other guys. Of course device theft wouldn’t happen to you.

But it does.

With the value of phones and laptops at an all-time high, they’re hot commodities for thieves; easy to turn a pretty penny. But often, it’s not just about the device itself. A cell phone is easy to replace – expensive, but easy. You buy a new one. Likely you already have your info backed up to the cloud, so within an hour, everything is back to normal. Except that your old device contains more than enough information to get you up to your eyeballs in identity theft before you can even blink an eye.

About a year ago my wallet was stolen and I was totally devastated. The whole first night after I realized it was gone I didn’t sleep a wink, I was up all night worrying. My credit cards, my driver’s license – such powerful tools in the hands of a stranger made me sick with worry.

When I think about how much more information I have stored on my laptop and phone, I literally feel paralyzed with fear. I think about my choice not to password lock my devices because “it takes too long”. I think about how many websites store my passwords and credit card info. I think about my email inbox, my YouTube channel, my Twitter account. All things someone would have access to if they got their hands on my phone.

It’s just – it can’t happen. That could never happen to me, it’s too horrible.

In a world where it’s becoming increasingly more likely that something like this could happen, a program like Absolute LoJack is so, so important. Not only does protecting my devices with their software give me peace of mind, they’re really great about taking a hands on approach to spreading awareness about how to protect yourself and to take precautions, something not nearly enough of us do.

So this month, I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes info I’m learning from their Investigation and Recovery Team (which is made up of forensic experts and reformed tech thieves – pretty cool, right?) to give you a better idea of what the inner workings of device theft look like.

I know it sounds dry, but I’m going to try to make it fun. And hopefully by the end of it, you’ll have learned something as well. Let’s not become statistics. Let’s keep our devices safe.

Kristina is a book obsessed, novel-writing, costume-making, project managing lover of all things cute. This blog is a snapshot of a married girl working in the tech industry and living her best nerdy life.